Fat, sugar and play-doh….

Dear Healthy Professor: Which is worse; too much sugar or too much fat?

Too much of either one isn’t good. Sometimes we try to make a better choice between a food that’s high in fat and one that’s low in fat but may be high in sugar. Is this a good idea? I witnessed this situation between a mom and her two little girls who stopped for a snack in Starbucks. The girls wanted something sweet to eat and they were allowed to choose the reduced-fat cake, a marshmallow bar or a mini-donut. The mom explained that the other choices were high in fat and therefore bad for their heart. (Times have changed. When my kids were that age I explained why they shouldn’t eat play-doh.)

I continued to observe this family and was curious about the nutritional values of their selections. (I’m not a stalker, just doing my job.) The reduced-fat cake that mom was pushing had 340 calories, 9g of fat and 40g of sugar. The cake the 5 year old really wanted had 350 calories, 13g of fat and 34 g of sugar. Not much of a difference. I am concerned with the calories of these choices; a lot for a little kid. Big sister chose the marshmallow bar (my personal favorite) with 210 calories, 4g of fat and 15 grams of sugar; a better choice under the circumstances. There was the mini donut which had 120 calories, 6g of fat and 10g of sugar; not too bad for a sweet snack, although it is small. All these treats lack nutritional value for the calories, which is reason enough to limit their consumption.

Although fat has long been touted the culprit we know when it comes to heart disease, there’s fat and there’s fat. The saturated fats like those in meats and dairy products should be eaten sparingly. These kinds of fats also find their way into desserts and processed foods. Other fats like those from plant oils, nuts and some fish should have a prominent place in our diet since they have been found to help lower cholesterol, fight inflammation and increase our satisfaction. Whatever the source, all fats are nine calories per gram and should be consumed in moderation to control calories.

Most of us are aware that sugar is fast becoming a major health problem. So much so that the American Heart Association released guidelines for limiting added sugar in our diet. Added sugar means what’s added to foods and does not include the sugars naturally found in fruits and dairy products. So what are the new recommendations? Brace yourself. Women should aim for 100 calories per day (6 1/2 teaspoons or 25 grams) and men should aim for 150 calories per day (9 1/2 teaspoons or 38 grams). Considering that 16 ounces of sweetened ice tea can have 12 teaspoons of sugar, you can see how fast the sweet stuff adds up. There are all kinds of sugars. Some with good reputations (like honey and molasses) and some which have been on the nutrition hit list (like high-fructose corn syrup). Truth is, it’s all pretty much the same and excess dietary sugar (especially from sugary drinks) is associated with the rise in obesity. To add insult to injury, it seems that the more sugar we eat the more we want. That’s why desensitizing your sweet tooth may be the best thing you can do. Artificial sweeteners are not the answer. They keep us wanting more and in some cases their safety is still a matter of debate.

Don’t be fooled. Read labels, ask or look up the nutritional value of foods you suspect to be high in sugar and fat. When in doubt, eat half. It’s your choice.

Nina Marinello

4 Responses

and why, oh why, is it so hard to de-sensitize/stop eating sugar? What goes on in our bodies that makes us think we really need that __________ (you fill in the blank)? I fully believe at this point in time, if I could control that portion of my diet, much of the rest would come into line. Is there any scientific reason, or is it all in my head?

This post brings to mind the days when artificial sweeteners first came out. My grandmother and my mom embraced the sugar substitutes and began using them in their tea each morning. Gradually,over the years, these substitutes have crept audaciously into every packaged or processed food item that is on market shelves. The only solution is to purchase only raw foods-vegetables and fresh fruits;use ‘real butter and sugar’ so that you know exactly how much you are adding to your homemade iced tea or fruit salads and salad dressings. The problem is not the sugar and butter as it is the chemically enhanced products that are so evident in the markets and on our own pantry shelves.

lizzie2 – exactly – naturally, our bodies have evolved to function best on what they have ingested over millions of years of bioevolutionary history – not some latter-day artificial/chemical substitute (which, because your body doesn’t ‘recognize’ them, don’t work well, in several ways, in our bodies).

An interesting dialogue is worth comment. I think that you should write more on this matter, it won’t be a taboo subject but generally people are not sufficient to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers

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